Employee Forum talks UNC, state issues

CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story credited the Affordable Care Act as the source of the changes to the State Health Care Plan, but it was changed by the State Health Plan’s Board of Trustees. In addition, employees must take action to change their status if they want to enroll in one of the other two health care plan options. Employees cannot opt out unless they want to discontinue their coverage.

CLARIFICATION: the Carolina Cares, Carolina Shares campaign does not endorse any charity.

From voter ID to the federal government shutdown, UNC employees discussed a plethora of pressing issues on Wednesday.

Brenda Malone, vice chancellor for human resources, discussed UNC-centric topics while former N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird paid a visit to speak about city and statewide concerns. It was the forum’s second meeting of the academic year.

Malone spent time reassuring employees that the federal government shutdown is not expected to drastically affect them.

“We don’t want people to panic because we don’t know what will happen,” she said.

She said she hopes the shutdown will be short-term because if it continues it could cause shortened employee workdays and pay cuts.

Malone also addressed the impacts of the shutdown on research money.

“One of the blessings is that we are a major research institution, but a lot of that research is federally funded,” said Malone.

Ashley Nicklis, senior director of benefits and work/life programs for human resources, spoke about yet another economic issue: employee health care.

UNC employees’ health care plans were also discussed.

Enrollment in the North Carolina State Health Plan began on Tuesday and closes Oct. 31.

The State Health Plan’s Board of Trustees worked to expand employee health care last year and approved a new set of plan options for 2014, including financial incentives for living healthy. Health plan benefits for UNC employees take effect Jan. 1, 2014.

Nicklis said no matter which plan employees choose, they will not lose any services.

The forum also focused on the kickoff of the “Carolina Cares, Carolina Shares” campaign, a program that encourages UNC employees to support reviewed and approved charities, such as Amnesty International and the Humane Society of the United States.

Malone said UNC employees raised $890,000 last year and the campaign hopes to raise $1 million this year.

“The power of giving is infectious,” she said.

Kinnaird attended the forum to raise awareness about her grassroots movement concerning the North Carolina voter ID laws and said she plans to gather a coalition of Chapel Hill residents, including UNC employees, to assist her in her efforts.

The new law requires voters to provide a government-issued photo ID, but it does not allow poll workers to accept college IDs or out-of-state driver’s licenses. It also shortens early voting by a week and ends same-day voter registration.

“This army can make sure that everyone is registered to vote, has proper ID and knows what documents they need,” Kinnaird said.

“The most impacted are students because they don’t think about this until it is too late.”

At the meeting Malone also discussed how the University planned to honor its 11,900 part-time and full-time employees at Employee Appreciation Day on Oct. 18.

Activities, including free food and a DJ, will be held in the Student Union and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Malone said she hopes that as many employees attend as possible.

“It is important to say how much we appreciate the staff who work here,” she said.

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